GaryMrMets
01-23-2002, 03:20 PM
http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/news/mlb_news_story.jsp?article_id=mlb_20011205_candael eWATN_news&team_id=mlb
News
12/5/2001 9:40 am ET
Where have you gone, Casey Candaele?
By Alyson Footer
MLB.com
It's been eight years since Casey Candaele donned an Astros uniform, but his legend lives on.
No, he wasn't a McGwire-esque bash brother or a franchise icon such as modern-day Houston heroes Jeff Bagwell or Craig Biggio. Instead, Candaele is remembered for his humor and fun-loving attitude that entrenched his name among those considered the best teammates in baseball.
He wasn't so much of a prankster as he was, as he described, "an improv guy." Luis Gonzalez was more of a prank instigator, while Candaele was one who took advantage of situations, rather than people.
Sunday mornings, for example, were designated "naked batting practice" days. Candaele would go to the batting cages located near the Astros'clubhouse, wearing nothing more than his Spring Training sunburn, to take a few cuts in preparation of the upcoming game.
He was happy to hear that in the years since, no one has brought back that Sunday tradition.
"That's good," he said with a laugh from his home in San Luis Obispo, CA. "That's my claim to fame. Naked BP -- now that was fun."
He also recalled "Airplane skiing" on the Astros' charter flights.
"I'd go to the front of the plane and then ride one of those trays down the aisle," he recalled. "I landed in the flight attendant's lap one time. But it was a charter flight so she didn't get too upset with me."
Candaele, now 40, played a myriad of infield and outfield positions during his five-year run with the Astros from 1988-93, and to this day, Bagwell credits his former teammate for teaching him what it really means to play in the Majors.
Near the end of Bagwell's rookie year in 1991, he and Candaele sat in the dugout in Atlanta watching a chaotic scene as the Braves celebrated their win over the Astros that clinched the NL East title. Bagwell commented that the euphoria was "pretty cool." Candaele said, "You idiot. This is the only thing that matters -- getting to the World Series. That's the only reason why we're here."
Bagwell has been quoted as saying it was one of the best baseball lessons he learned, and Candaele is flattered that his former teammate credits him with making such an impact on his career.
"He's always been really nice about telling people about that day (in Atlanta)," he said. "It's really cool for him to do. But he's the one who hits the ball. He's done pretty well for himself. In fact, he's not a bad player."
Candaele was reminded of another rookie Bagwell story. This one took place in Pittsburgh after Bagwell hit an upper-deck home run at Three Rivers Stadium.
A local reporter wanted to talk to Bagwell about that home run after the game, but considering the rookie was a virtual no-name at the time, the reporter wasn't very familiar with what Bagwell looked like. Candaele saw an opportunity for another Casey-ism.
Candaele pretended he was Bagwell, spouting off comments to the reporter filled with conceit and over-confidence.
"I said, 'You think that was a long home run? Let me show you what I'm going to do. I'm the best player to come up here. This is easy. There's got to be another level past the big leagues, isn't there?'"
The reporter was floored by the player's overzealous comments, until the real Bagwell emerged from the shower and cleared up the misunderstanding.
"He kept yelling, 'That wasn't me! That wasn't me!'" Candaele recalled.
Following his years with the Astros, Candaele spent the next four seasons in the Cleveland Indians' organization, playing mostly in its minor league system while making two brief stints on the Major League level in 1996 and '97. He signed on with the Astros again in the middle of the '98 season, and played for the club's Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans through the '99 campaign. He retired in 2000 after spending most of that season with the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate in Calgary.
Now that his baseball career is over, Candaele spends his time "riding my motorcycle and trying to find a new career," all the while focusing his attention on his family: wife Christy, 10-year-old son Dylan and daughter Brady, age seven. His kids are actively involved in a wide variety of sports, and Candaele has tried his hand at coaching everything from his son's baseball and basketball teams to his daughter's soccer team, although he admits he doesn't know much about soccer: "I just go out there and pretend."
Most recently, Candaele spent the summer of 2001 managing the San Luis Obispo Blues, a semi-pro baseball team consisting mostly of college players.
"We qualified for the championship series in Wichita for the first time in about 20 years," he said. "It was fun, I had a great time. They use wood bats."
Candaele's love for baseball stems from his mother, the late Helen St. Aubin, who played for the All-American Girls Baseball League in the 1940's and '50's, which was the inspiration for the movie "A League of Their Own."
The movie, Candaele explained, was loosely based on all different women that played in that league. Interestingly, his brother, Kelly, originally collaborated with his friend Kim Wilson to write the storyline for a documentary about the AAGABL. Film director Penny Marshall saw the piece, and according to Casey, decided then to make the documentary into the now famous movie.
"I thought it was great, I thought they did a really good job," he said. "It makes me cry everytime I watch it."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "But wait, there's no crying in baseball."
Candaele remembers his mother as "quiet and tough" and "a true inspiration." While some men may recall their fathers playing catch with them in the backyard, Candaele remembers his mother teaching him the fundamentals of baseball.
"That was normal to me," he said. "I thought everyone's mom could do things like strike us out when throwing BP."
His father, a one-time minor league hockey goalie, was an athlete in his own right, but it would be easy to assume that Candaele inherited his baseball talent from his mother.
"Actually it's sad because I got my dad's baseball talent," he quipped. "And he didn't play. I wish I got her talent, I'd probably still be playing."
As for the future, Candaele may explore getting back into baseball as a coach someday.
"I think I'd be good at that," he surmised. "I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but I'd be good."
Judging from the impact that he once had on young-players-turned-superstars, he's probably right.
Alyson Footer is the site reporter of astros.com.
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/photo/2001_news/c/ph_news_candaele288.jpg
It's been eight years since Casey Candaele donned an Astros uniform (not including "naked batting practice"), but his legend lives on.
News
12/5/2001 9:40 am ET
Where have you gone, Casey Candaele?
By Alyson Footer
MLB.com
It's been eight years since Casey Candaele donned an Astros uniform, but his legend lives on.
No, he wasn't a McGwire-esque bash brother or a franchise icon such as modern-day Houston heroes Jeff Bagwell or Craig Biggio. Instead, Candaele is remembered for his humor and fun-loving attitude that entrenched his name among those considered the best teammates in baseball.
He wasn't so much of a prankster as he was, as he described, "an improv guy." Luis Gonzalez was more of a prank instigator, while Candaele was one who took advantage of situations, rather than people.
Sunday mornings, for example, were designated "naked batting practice" days. Candaele would go to the batting cages located near the Astros'clubhouse, wearing nothing more than his Spring Training sunburn, to take a few cuts in preparation of the upcoming game.
He was happy to hear that in the years since, no one has brought back that Sunday tradition.
"That's good," he said with a laugh from his home in San Luis Obispo, CA. "That's my claim to fame. Naked BP -- now that was fun."
He also recalled "Airplane skiing" on the Astros' charter flights.
"I'd go to the front of the plane and then ride one of those trays down the aisle," he recalled. "I landed in the flight attendant's lap one time. But it was a charter flight so she didn't get too upset with me."
Candaele, now 40, played a myriad of infield and outfield positions during his five-year run with the Astros from 1988-93, and to this day, Bagwell credits his former teammate for teaching him what it really means to play in the Majors.
Near the end of Bagwell's rookie year in 1991, he and Candaele sat in the dugout in Atlanta watching a chaotic scene as the Braves celebrated their win over the Astros that clinched the NL East title. Bagwell commented that the euphoria was "pretty cool." Candaele said, "You idiot. This is the only thing that matters -- getting to the World Series. That's the only reason why we're here."
Bagwell has been quoted as saying it was one of the best baseball lessons he learned, and Candaele is flattered that his former teammate credits him with making such an impact on his career.
"He's always been really nice about telling people about that day (in Atlanta)," he said. "It's really cool for him to do. But he's the one who hits the ball. He's done pretty well for himself. In fact, he's not a bad player."
Candaele was reminded of another rookie Bagwell story. This one took place in Pittsburgh after Bagwell hit an upper-deck home run at Three Rivers Stadium.
A local reporter wanted to talk to Bagwell about that home run after the game, but considering the rookie was a virtual no-name at the time, the reporter wasn't very familiar with what Bagwell looked like. Candaele saw an opportunity for another Casey-ism.
Candaele pretended he was Bagwell, spouting off comments to the reporter filled with conceit and over-confidence.
"I said, 'You think that was a long home run? Let me show you what I'm going to do. I'm the best player to come up here. This is easy. There's got to be another level past the big leagues, isn't there?'"
The reporter was floored by the player's overzealous comments, until the real Bagwell emerged from the shower and cleared up the misunderstanding.
"He kept yelling, 'That wasn't me! That wasn't me!'" Candaele recalled.
Following his years with the Astros, Candaele spent the next four seasons in the Cleveland Indians' organization, playing mostly in its minor league system while making two brief stints on the Major League level in 1996 and '97. He signed on with the Astros again in the middle of the '98 season, and played for the club's Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans through the '99 campaign. He retired in 2000 after spending most of that season with the Marlins' Triple-A affiliate in Calgary.
Now that his baseball career is over, Candaele spends his time "riding my motorcycle and trying to find a new career," all the while focusing his attention on his family: wife Christy, 10-year-old son Dylan and daughter Brady, age seven. His kids are actively involved in a wide variety of sports, and Candaele has tried his hand at coaching everything from his son's baseball and basketball teams to his daughter's soccer team, although he admits he doesn't know much about soccer: "I just go out there and pretend."
Most recently, Candaele spent the summer of 2001 managing the San Luis Obispo Blues, a semi-pro baseball team consisting mostly of college players.
"We qualified for the championship series in Wichita for the first time in about 20 years," he said. "It was fun, I had a great time. They use wood bats."
Candaele's love for baseball stems from his mother, the late Helen St. Aubin, who played for the All-American Girls Baseball League in the 1940's and '50's, which was the inspiration for the movie "A League of Their Own."
The movie, Candaele explained, was loosely based on all different women that played in that league. Interestingly, his brother, Kelly, originally collaborated with his friend Kim Wilson to write the storyline for a documentary about the AAGABL. Film director Penny Marshall saw the piece, and according to Casey, decided then to make the documentary into the now famous movie.
"I thought it was great, I thought they did a really good job," he said. "It makes me cry everytime I watch it."
Pausing for a moment, he added, "But wait, there's no crying in baseball."
Candaele remembers his mother as "quiet and tough" and "a true inspiration." While some men may recall their fathers playing catch with them in the backyard, Candaele remembers his mother teaching him the fundamentals of baseball.
"That was normal to me," he said. "I thought everyone's mom could do things like strike us out when throwing BP."
His father, a one-time minor league hockey goalie, was an athlete in his own right, but it would be easy to assume that Candaele inherited his baseball talent from his mother.
"Actually it's sad because I got my dad's baseball talent," he quipped. "And he didn't play. I wish I got her talent, I'd probably still be playing."
As for the future, Candaele may explore getting back into baseball as a coach someday.
"I think I'd be good at that," he surmised. "I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but I'd be good."
Judging from the impact that he once had on young-players-turned-superstars, he's probably right.
Alyson Footer is the site reporter of astros.com.
http://www.mlb.com/mlb/photo/2001_news/c/ph_news_candaele288.jpg
It's been eight years since Casey Candaele donned an Astros uniform (not including "naked batting practice"), but his legend lives on.